Austin Resource Recovery Director Ken Snipes said since Winter Storm Mara hit Austin in early February, the department has collected about 100,000 tons of tree material, and cleanup is ongoing.

Three city parks—Circle C Ranch Metropolitan Park, Bolm District Park and parkland on Old Manor Road—are being utilized as collection sites for material collection and mulching, ARR Division Manager Amy Slagle said. The sites are only open to city contractors, not the public, for drop-offs. The sites will be utilized until the end of the cleanup process, which is expected to last through the end of April.

The debris is then transferred to the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant where it is turned into Dillo Dirt, or compost. According to the city’s website, Dillo Dirt is a mixture of brush generated by city of Austin departments that is treated with biosolids, or wastewater sludge, and composted through a monthlong process that involves heating the mixture. The product is then cured for several months.

The city is still collecting storm debris if customers call 311 to report the pickup and leave the debris properly placed on the sidewalk. The city’s contractors may not be able to pick up the debris if it is mixed with other trash, too far from the street and on private property, or blocked by a car or low-hanging branch.